Sanders explained to me that being mentally absent from a marriage can dismantle a person’s confidence, because it makes it seem like they’re not important, that they have no significance. And if treated like that for sufficient time, they start adapting those qualities, which is why when I first started complimenting her, she wouldn’t accept the compliment.

It’s why I ask her a question about Matt after our dates, because I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. I also want to ensure she feels significant. Valued. Listened to. Happy.

“More adventurous. Do you think you can make that happen?”

I catch the football and give him a look, making him laugh. “What do you think, Sanders? My damn dick is pierced.”

He lets out a roar of a laugh. “Adventurous it is. So is that what you’re going to do next as one of the big dates?”

“I think so,” I say, thinking back to all the little things we’ve been doing during the week.

Dinners, walks in the park, riding the ferry just to fucking ride it and spend time together. There are moments that I’ve been capturing with her the last few weeks, and when we’re not together, we’re constantly texting or talking on the phone. But the big dates, or the dates that are centered around the bucket list that we wrote out at Camp Haven, those are the ones that I’ve been planning and putting effort into.

“You ready to get intimate with her?”

“We’ve already been intimate, Sanders.”

“Well aware,” he says. “We heard it at the camp.”

That makes me smile.

“And I saw you two in the lake.”

I chuckle. “That was hot.”

“I’m surprised that water didn’t make everything shrivel up.”

“You know, I’m just that attracted to her that no cold water could make my dick disappear.”

“Aww. To be young again.”

I toss the football to him and answer his question. “But yes, I am ready to be intimate. I think it’s time. We’ve been doing this for about three, four weeks now, and every time I answer no to her request to go into her apartment, I can see her get sadder and sadder. I think it’s time.”

“Good. You have everything you need?”

“Yup,” I say. “I’ve got everything. Just have one question for you.”

“What’s that?” he asks.

I glance around his room, taking in the wreck of an office he maintains. “There’s something that’s been on my mind, ever since we signed up for the marriage camp.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, from a quick Google search, I was able to find that your grandparents owned Camp Haven before you. It was a sports camp, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“And then it was passed on directly to your mom, right?”

“Yes,” he drags out, trying to see where I’m going with this.